Federal Food Inspectors Upset

Federal food inspectors upset over a plan to speed up poultry inspections are gathering support from all corners. The American Federation of Government Employees delivered nearly 150,000 petitions to the Agriculture Department. With criticism mounting, USDA said it would let the public comment on the proposal for one more month. The agency already has received nearly 600 comments, according to AFGE. The proposal would allow some poultry companies to inspect their own chickens. USDA said the move would allow its staff to focus on dangerous, but hard-to-detect, diseases like salmonella.